what we actually do during the day....

Sunday
Total world cases: 2,986,710-------------------77,096  increase
Total fatalities:  206,623-------------------------3,821 increase
UK total: 152,840-------------------------------4,463 increase
UK Fatalities: 20,732--------------------------- 413 increase

Monday
Total world cases: 3,058,059-------------------71,349  increase
Total fatalities:  211,308-------------------------4,685 increase
UK total: 157,149------------------------------- 4,309 increase
UK Fatalities: 21,092--------------------------- 360 increase

So - a definite decline in cases for the UK! Boris Johnson was back today and made a speech outside No 10...he looked tired, but okay.  At the moment there is acknowledgement that we are slowing the death rate and rate of infection but that this is going to continue for some time.  In other news Bill Gates, who about 4 years ago predicted that the next threat to humans would be a viral pandemic, stated that a vaccine might be available in a year - possibly two years and President Trump did not do his daily meet with the press again - probably because his advisers and telling him to stay away because he is such an idiot!

Anyway.........

Today, as usual I was woken up by movement, chatting and the dogs and came downstairs, to find Helen on her laptop and mum in the conservatory doing something work related on her laptop.  I decided to make a proper coffee on the hob, there was a plastic bin with dog biscuits on the hob and when I moved it there was a spider underneath....I thought it had been put there to trap the spider, but no....it just happened to be there - I put the bin back on top of it - but managed to squash it accidentally.

Last night in the evening, mum went into the kitchen to get something and shouted out - saying somebody needs to come and get this spider!!  I thought - well, not me! and Helen said - I'm not!!  So I had to step up and catch and release that one - something I'd normally get Andy to do!  So that's my new job now....

So - I made a coffee on the hob and it was horrible - so chucked it away.  Looking forward to getting back to my expensive coffee maker at home!  Whilst I was doing this Helen was typing things for the eulogy and asked me about the can of lemonade that me and dad passed between us.  What she was referring to was this: when the twins were babies, I used to go with my mum and dad to Salford precinct every Wednesday afternoon, and we would go to specific places for specific things - like eggs in the indoor market, weigh-and-save (which I don't think exists anymore) for my mums cake mix or whatever she bought - I didn't really need anything, I'd go for the company and to get out of the house with the kids.  We'd normally get lunch too.  On this particular day - when we got back to the car I discovered that Dad had stuck his rubbish in the hood of my buggy - this included a small empty lemonade can.  So I tried to give it back to him but he was laughing and refused to take it.  I think I managed to get it into his car - but he managed to get it back into mine! lol.  In the end I packed everything up - and when ready to go - threw it in his car, ran back to mine and drove off laughing.  I got to the exit and and had to stop to give way to traffic and he came running up and stuck it on the top of my car aerial and then HE ran off laughing.  So - later that evening, I drove around to their house - ran in - found them in the living room watching TV - so I quickly put it down on the table in front of them and ran as fast as I could out of the house and sped off!  This continued for years - it has been posted, wrapped up for Christmas, placed underneath pillows, all sorts (I wish I could remember all of the instances) There could be a year or more between exchange of this can, but it was never forgotten and would always reappear.  It wasn't long ago that I thought of this can - I think I still have possession of it - but I'm not sure where it is.  So after about 25 years - my Dad won!

The above story just illustrates his sense of fun - and MY sense of fun - which he instilled in me.  It has made me smile remembering this - and it might even make an appearance in his eulogy.

Another thing we have laughed about this week is his love of rugby and how he ended up with four daughters and no sons (until a few years later)  I was the closest he got to a boy so he tried to get me into it, but I had no love of the game really and didn't really understand it.  I know we ended up being put into a summer club thing - which was supposed to be for the rugby lads... and I used to go and watch him referee, but everybody knew I only went for the pie and peas afterwards! LOL.  He once got me to be the touch judge and run up and down the line - but I didn't have clue what I was doing!  I remember owning rugby boots too....and him teaching us how to throw and catch a rugby ball (in the living room!).  So, one day I was going with him to watch the under 12's final in a big stadium (possibly Salford's ground), it was a fairly big event.  One of the teams was a player short so he MADE me do it!!  I hadn't got a clue what to do - but he said - don't worry - we'll stick you at the back, you won't have to do anything.  So, I stood at the back feeling extremely awkward, and then one of the players on the other team made a break for it with the ball and there was only me left to stop him or he would score! With the crowd all cheering for him, I manage to intercept him - but I didn't know how to tackle!! I grabbed his shirt and spun him around until he fell on the floor! lol.  I stopped him scoring though!!  I can't remember if the team I was playing on won or not - but I suppose they wouldn't have been able to play at all if I had not stepped in.  I got a medal for this too as it was the final!  This was not something I would have done at all, but dad made me really!

So today Helen was working on the eulogy and we were trying to figure out when dad had cut his hair - he used to have a comb over - but saw himself on TV (he was a touch judge on a rugby match) and on TV the wind was blowing his comb over and it was sticking up!  He cut it off after he saw that.  Mum said she had DVD's of him playing rugby so me and Helen were watching them to try and figure out when it was exactly that he had seen the footage leading to his haircut.  We didn't find the right one but it was awesome seeing dad as a touch judge and this then led to us watching Bev's wedding - and Dads speech - and his famous joke about pizza's!  My kids are on it too - and me and Andy - all looking very young - it was from 1999, so me and Andy would both have been 28 years old.  Was lovely seeing dad though....

After we watched this - Helen asked me to read through the eulogy to check it through - and it was so good - she has done such a good job, and obviously it made me cry again - which in turn gave me another headache.

Helen then went off to bed to try and get rid of her migraine, and me and mum went out with the dogs.  When we got back we had some lunch, and mum went off to do some work from home - and I watched another old DVD - this time it was the joint party my mum, dad and nan had - aged 50, 60 and 70 years old.  The DVD though was just the band - which was Andy and Paul! So that was awesome to watch - Helen got up feeling okay in the middle of this viewing!

Then we watched TV whilst crocheting (I know - saddo) but I finished the rainbow:

Crochet rainbow

We then had tea - and afterwards we sat around the table chatting - this inevitably ended up talking about dad and how we hoped he didn't suffer too much and hoped he wasn't scared at the end and the three of us ended up in tears...we had to try and shake it off and carry on...

We sat down to watch Money Heist which we have all become quite addicted to.  Coco, one of my mums dogs is adorable and she keeps running off with our socks or Helen's slippers....she managed to get a slipper again...

She growls when you try and take it off her! But she doesn't bite you or anything - well, not yet anyway!  She is such a sweety!

We had a nice evening together and then got to bed.  We came upstairs and I went to the loo - making note of Helen's door being slightly open and thinking - she is going to try and get me back after last night (me jumping out on her)....so I came out of the bathroom and thought - I am going to see if Helen is in her room before I go into mine - and she wasn't there! ha! So I came in my room - saying You're busted Helen - and I found her laying on the floor on the far side of my bed!  She would have frightened the life out of me if I had got in bed then she suddenly jumped out!  However, it was the place I would have chosen too - so I would have checked there anyway!